Who are the key players in this journey from project conception to RFT release? What are their roles and who has ultimate authority for deciding which tenderer wins the contract and who has to wait for another day?

Government tenders can be large, complex and intimidating. Why would you put yourself and your business through lodging tenders, especially when there is no guarantee of success?

Maurice Downinghttp://corfocus.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/upper-right-bottom-wrap-1030x530.pngMaurice Downing2014-05-14 10:55:462016-02-16 05:42:39What tendering for government projects can do for your business

You lodged your tender three months ago and you’re still waiting to hear the result. How can it take so long to pick a winner? To help you understand let’s look at a few of the issues I’ve encountered when working on tender evaluation panels.

Your contract can be successful and profitable for both your company and for your government client, and you’ll still find an issue. The issue may lie in invoicing for a government client – potentially more problematic than first thought due to government systems.

The very first step in responding to a tender is to identify the key points you need to address in the Request for Tender (RFT). Let me share with you how a colleague and I did this on a major RFT recently. It’s a little like a game plan we hear so much about in sports these days.

“The Department will select the best value for money proposal having regard for the results of the technical assessment and the price, and after considering the associated risks”.
This is a standard phrase from Request for Tender documents that many of us have wrestled with. But what does this Holy Trinity of Evaluation actually mean and how do Tender Evaluation Panels work it out?

It’s no secret that in my opinion, content is king. My opinion is based on personal observation within the tender evaluation room where I have seen very flash tenders end up in the ‘no thanks’ pile, while more humble looking versions go into the ‘yes please’ pile.

A little over a month ago I was working with some clients on a particularly large and complex tender. The RFT was some 370 pages and generated an astounding 761 clarification questions. People were working 16 hour days and some suppliers had reportedly thrown their hands in the air and walked away.

Corfocus Tender Writing Blog

Those of you interested in cooking will appreciate that creating a culinary masterpiece starts with quality ingredients. While there are lots of goodies that go into your favourite dish I am willing to bet that there are just a couple of key ones that are essential for success. The same applies to government tenders where […]

I was speaking with Archie, an associate, the other day when he shared an interesting story about a recent project that has some lessons you might find interesting. Archie was part of a Tender Evaluation Panel (TEP) for a significant services project worth around $95 million over three years. After a comprehensive evaluation process, only two […]